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There are three pregnancy stages, which are called trimesters. Each stage lasts about three months. During each of these stages, the mother-to-be experiences new changes in her body as the baby grows and develops inside the womb. One of the major changes is that your belly expands and your emotions are like a roller coaster. You will probably cry for no apparent reason, so that your partner feels as if he has to tiptoe around you. You will probably be very fearful about what is going to happen to your body and of course you will have fears about the health of the baby. These are natural emotions that every pregnant woman experiences and should not be cause for alarm.

During the first stage of pregnancy, which lasts until about the 12th week, you will have to learn about being pregnant. This is when you will start to feel more tired than usual and have to take frequent naps. You will also start making frequent trips to the bathroom because the baby growing in the uterus places more pressure on your bladder. Morning sickness is a symptom of this stage when you feel nauseated in the morning or at various times of the day. The smells of cooking could make you feel sick and many women actually lose weight during this stage. Eating plain crackers helps to alleviate the feeling of nausea, but if you are actually throwing up a lot of the time, your doctor can give you suggestions as what to do. Some of the other changes you will experience during this stage include decreased interest in lovemaking, breast tenderness, expanding belly, and an increase in your basal temperature.

It is during the second stage of your pregnancy that you will start to look pregnant with a growing belly. The nausea and fatigue start to decline during these weeks and you will start to take an increased interest in sexual activity. The sexual organs and breasts have increased bloodflow, which will make them more sensitive. The baby starts to move during the fourth month and this is an exciting time for mothers-to-be as it makes the pregnancy more real for them. The first ultrasound usually occurs about the 18th or 19th week and it is them you can see the life that is growing inside you. Some of the physical changes you will notice in your body during this stage include milk leaking from your breasts on times and pressure on the lower parts of your body, which could result in haemorrhoids or varicose veins. When you visit your doctor, you will be able to hear the baby`s heartbeat.

The last stage of pregnancy is the third trimester. You will probably feel uncomfortable because your body is larger. This is especially true of it is during the hot weather of the summer. You will become impatient and want the baby to be born as soon as possible. You will start to feel excited about the baby and start nesting, which refers to making a room in your home for the baby and shopping for baby clothing. This is probably the most uncomfortable stage as you will experience backache and leg cramps and the need to urinate increases. During this time you will likely experience false labor, called Braxton-Hicks contractions, which are painless contractions of the uterus as it moves the baby into the birth canal. Sometimes, these contractions can be quite painful, but they usually subside after a very short time.

For more information on pregnancy stages,the Chinese pregnancy calendar and;hot flashes during pregnancy visit http://www.Pregnancy-Articles.com

Although they are usually associated with the onset of menopause, hot flashes during pregnancy are quite common. Hot flashes are short periods when you experience intense heat and increased heart rate. Your face may become quite flushed and you may experience profuse sweating. If you are unfamiliar with this sensation, the experience can be rather frightening. One episode could last as long as five minutes, but they are usually less than a minute in duration. Some women do not experience hot flashes at all when they are pregnant and others have them all the time.

Experts suggest that hot flashes are caused by an increase in heat in the regulatory areas of the brain that control body temperature. One of the symptoms of pregnancy is an increase in the basal body temperature so it is only natural that you will go through hot flashes. Many things can trigger an episode, such as eating spicy foods. This is true even if these foods never bothered you before you became pregnant. Hot weather is another trigger that will make you feel warmer than normal and very uncomfortable. This is why many pregnant women find the summer months particularly trying when they are in the final trimester.

You don have to visit your doctor to get help for hot flashes when you are pregnant. There are natural ways of controlling this sensation and he/she will not likely prescribe any medication. They are often associated with lower than normal estrogen levels in the body. The best advice is to get to know the things that trigger your hot flashes and then avoid them as much as possible. The usual triggers include the following:

* Hot showers

* Drinking caffeinated drinks

* Consuming alcohol

* Smoking

* Becoming angry or stressed

* Hot drinks

Wearing loose clothing that gives your body room to breathe is another natural way of controlling your episodes of hot flashes. Another technique to reduce the discomfort is to take deep breaths from your abdomen and let the air out slowly through your nose. Taking walk can help to relieve the symptoms. Other treatments include swimming, taking cool baths and keeping cold water on hand for drinks when you need them.

While treatments for hot flashes do exist for menopausal women in the form of hormone therapy, this is not possible for a pregnant woman. When expectant mothers experience hot flashes the best remedy is to make changes in their lifestyle to help reduce the frequency and intensity of the episodes. During warm weather, having a fan close at hand or sitting near an open window with a wind blowing through will really give you comfort.

There is nothing to get concerned about when you do have hot flashes when you are pregnant. The episode may be embarrassing for you when you are in the company of others, but once you explain that you are expecting a baby, your friends will easily understand your situation. Some of them may have had the same experiences and may be able to offer you helpful advice.

For more information on hot flashes during pregnancy,very early signs of pregnancy and pregnancy stages visit http://www.Pregnancy-Articles.com

There are very early signs and symptoms that will give you a hint you might be pregnant. The first of these very early signs of pregnancy is a missed menstrual period, but all women are not the same, which means the signs are not the same. They can be different in the intensity and the duration and the same woman can have different signs with each pregnancy. You may attribute your general feeling of not being well to pre-menstrual symptoms and not even realize that you are pregnant until you have missed your menstrual cycle. There is a variety of both physical and emotional symptoms associated with being pregnant that could also be symptomatic of other events in your life.

The most obvious of the early signs of pregnancy is the missed period. However, in women who do not have a regular menstrual period, this may not be a sign for them and it is only when they miss several periods and feel unwell that they realize they may be pregnant. It is quite possible to have a very light period and then you do not even think you could be pregnant at all.

If you have been trying to get pregnant you will look for every possible sign. Many women have an intuitive feeling about this and know when they are pregnant because they know the feelings of their bodies. Some of the very early signs include heartburn after eating certain foods or after eating late at night, feeling unusually tired, having a headache or experiencing a dull ache or stiffness in your lower back.

Generally your breasts start to feel tender and you may notice that they are slightly enlarged. This is usually more noticeable at night when you go to bed and try to get comfortable. The nipples may also become darker in color and be exceptionally sore or sensitive ?so much so that you have to wear different clothing that does rub across them.

Fatigue and exhaustion is one of the very early signs that you may be pregnant. You may find it harder and harder to get up for work each morning or be more tired than usual when you return home from work or shopping. You will probably start to feel sleepy in the afternoons and want to take a nap. If this is really unusual for you, then you start thinking that there may be something wrong. Combined with the need for rest, you will also have to make frequent trips to the bathroom. This is because the uterus is getting larger and is placing pressure on the bladder. Although this is an early sign of pregnancy, it does last for the duration of the pregnancy and even get worse.

By the second month of your pregnancy, you will likely start to feel nauseous when you wake in the morning. The smell of certain foods cooking may make you feel sick and you may not want to eat some of your favourite foods any longer. This is called morning sickness, although it can occur at any time during the day. For many women, it lasts only a short time, but others do have it up until the third trimester and even until the baby is born.

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When you reach your 34th week of pregnancy, you should start making preparations for the arrival of your little bundle of joy. This involves preparing for labour and birth. One of the ways in which you can do this is to start having perineal massages. You should do this every day in order to avoid an episiotomy during the birth. This is a small incision that the doctor handling the delivery may have to make in the perineum in order to enlarge the vagina so that baby can slip through much easier.

It is recommended that you start perineal massages in your 34th week. There are two different ways in which you can conduct this massage. You can have a professional therapist give you the massage but due to the part of the body involved most women prefer to take care of this themselves or to have their partner assist them with it. You will need some form of lubricant, such as olive oil, KY jelly, cocoa butter or ordinary vegetable oil. Find a comfortable and private place in your home for your massage so that you won be interrupted.

First of all make sure you wash your hands and then coat them with the lubricant you choose to use. Place your thumbs about an inch inside the vagina and then press downwards and to the sides at the same time. You should keep gently stretching until you feel a slight burning or tingling sensation. Hold the pressure for a few minutes or longer as long as you can stand the sensation. After a while the area will feel a little numb.

While you keep applying the pressure with your thumbs, gently massage the lower section of your vagina working the lubricant into the tissues in the area. Repeat this motion for three or four minutes. While you are giving yourself this type of massage, you have to take care that you avoid the urinary area because you could get an infection from the lubricant. Pull outward on the lower part of the vagina while you massage the area. This will help to stretch the skin so it will be easier for the baby head to slip out during birth. You can do this massage once or twice a day from now until you go into labour.

Research has shown that women who do perform a perineal massage starting in week 34 of their pregnancy still have the perineum intact after the delivery. This is especially true for those giving birth for the first time.

This type of massage does not do any harm to the baby because you are not in contact with the cervix or the birth canal. What helps the mother relax also relaxes the baby, so you may find that the baby movements slow down somewhat during the massage. You can set a particular time of day for your massage, such as just after you get out of the shower or just before you go to bed at night.

For more information on the 34th week of pregnancy,pregnancy week 16 and pregnancy week 38 visit http://www.Pregnancy-WeekbyWeek.info

The 17th week of pregnancy is perhaps the most exciting week of your pregnancy. This is because this is the usual time when you first start feeling the little life that is growing inside you. This starts off as little fluttering movements as the baby starts moving in the uterus. At first you may not even notice them but as they become more frequent, you will unconsciously place your hand on your stomach to see if you can feel anything. If you do have on extra weight, you may not feel it at this point, but you can be looking for it. Those who are slimmer may actually feel movement before the 17th week.

The baby also has brown fat deposits under the skin to help maintain the normal body temperature. It has grown so that it is now about 5 inches long and weighs about five ounces. The ears are almost fully formed and the eyes look to the side. This is usually the time when you have your first ultrasound to get a shadowy glimpse of your baby. The doctor can hear the heartbeat and will let you listen to it when you visit for your regular checkup.

As for you, you will start finding it harder to walk in high heels and prefer flat shoes instead. This is because your feet will get tired more easily, especially if you have to do a lot of standing or walking at work. You may also notice an increase in vaginal discharge, and this is nothing to be alarmed about because it is quite normal.

One of the things expectant moms say about being 17 weeks pregnant is that they start feeling less glamorous and do not want to take the time to dress up or put on makeup. You should take pride in your pregnancy as at this stage you actually do have a glow about you that is evident to others. Your stomach is getting bigger and you can no longer fit into your clothes. With the many new styles in maternity clothing available, you can really dress up and show off your growing belly.

It is safe to engage in sexual activity and since all the morning sickness is over, you will find that you have a renewed interest in lovemaking. You also have more energy and are able to do most of the activities that you were too tired to do in the first trimester. You should take walks to firm up your muscles, but you should also make sure you get enough rest. Relaxing after work with a glass of milk or in the afternoon with a cold glass of lemonade is the perfect way to enjoy being pregnant.

Your breasts will also get larger and you may even have to buy a larger size bra. The area around your nipples will also start to become dark and this is perfectly natural and to be expected. You may start having strange cravings for food as well, which may be junk food. There is nothing wrong with eating junk food once in a while, but you should endeavour to have eat healthy foods.

For more information on the 17th week of pregnancy,11th week of pregnancy and the 34th week of pregnancy visit http://www.Pregnancy-WeekbyWeek.info

How accurate is the Chinese pregnancy calendar? This calendar is also known as the Chinese conception chart and predicts whether you will have a boy or girl based on your age and the month in which you became pregnant. Supposedly, this chart was buried in a royal tomb thousands of years ago and was uncovered in an archaeological excavation. The actual chart is on display at the Institute of Science.

Many people swear by this calendar and it has proven to be accurate in about 99% of the cases in which it was used. The calendar is divided into thirteen columns ?one for the age of the mother and the twelve months of the year. Find your age when you became pregnant and slide your finger along the line until you come to the month in which you became pregnant. The letter M for male in that month means you will have a boy and the letter F means you will have a girl. For example, if you are 23 years old and you conceived in March, according to this calendar, you will have a boy.

If you are trying to conceive and there is a specific gender you want to have, then you can consult with this calendar to increase the likelihood of having the gender you want. An eighteen year old will likely have a boy if she conceives during any of the months from April to December. According to this chart an 18-year old woman will only have a girl if she conceives during January or March. A 21-year old, on the other hand, has a greater chance of having a girl because the only month of conception for a boy is January. While most of the ages have a pretty even chance of the baby being a boy or girl, a 30-year old will likely have a boy unless she gets pregnant during March or June.

There are many tales about how to predict the gender of an unborn baby. Some people try swinging a needle suspended by a thread over the hand of the pregnant woman. If it swings from side to side, this is said to mean the baby will be a girl. If it swings north to south, this means that baby will be a boy. Some say that if you carry the baby low it will be a girl and if you carry it high it will be a boy. None of these methods of determining the gender are accurate. However, like the Chinese calendar for pregnancy, it does prove that people have been trying to guess the gender of the baby for centuries. The Chinese are perhaps the only ones who have found a system that works.

Have fun with using the chart to see if it will be right for you. You shouldn put your faith in it so completely that you decorate the nursery for a specific gender because then you could be in for a disappointment when the baby is born. Ultrasounds late in the pregnancy can tell you definitely whether the baby is a boy or a girl because you can see the genitals.

For more information on the Chinese pregnancy calendar,pregnancy stages and very early signs of pregnancy visit http://www.Pregnancy-Articles.com